Press Releases, 6/8/2018 | Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres will arrive in Finland to host a meeting of a High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation in Helsinki on Monday 18 June.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini will open the meeting and host a lunch for the Advisory Board. Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and President of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, Slovakian Minister for Foreign Affairs Miroslav Lajčák will also attend the lunch.

“The role of mediation has become increasingly important among the tools available in foreign policy internationally, and it is one of the key priority areas of the Finnish foreign policy. Hosting this meeting is part of our determined contribution to mediation in accordance with the Government’s Report on Finnish Foreign and Security Policy,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Soini explains the significance of the meeting.

The High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation was initiated by Secretary General Guterres to prevent conflicts and strengthen mediation efforts. The UN aims to increase its and its Member States’ mediation capacity and to support regional and national mediation activities. The members of the Advisory Group, which was appointed by the Secretary General, are experienced experts in mediation and diplomacy. They are, among others, President Tarja Halonen, Nobel Peace Prize laureate José Ramos-Horta and the former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet.